What The World Doesn't Know
by littlemissbroadwaywannabe
Summary: Regina is a junior at Storybrooke High. The daughter of Principal Cora Mills. Everyone thinks Regina is happy. Why wouldn't she be? A rich family, friends who love her, she's smart...what wouldn't be great about that? How about the fact that her mother abuses her behind closed doors. Of course, no one knows. Not Snow, Tink, Emma, or Robin. But what happens when someone finds out?
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! So I had an idea for a new story so I got straight to work. It's taken a while due to taking 5 college classes at the same time but it's finally done. I own nothing, just the idea.

Enjoy xoxox

It's the first day of junior year at Storybrooke High and Regina couldn't be more relieved. She couldn't wait to get out of the house, away from her mother. But she knew she couldn't get completely away from her; her mother was the principal of Storybrooke High. Growing up as the principals daughter has always been rough, but there was one good thing about it, her mother was too busy to really bother with her...not that she really would in public. Cora Mills was too worried about her public image. But what happened behind closed doors, in the privacy of their own home, was a totally different story.

Regina walked quietly into her bathroom, wanting to avoid her mother for as long as possible. Snow, Tink, and Emma would be here in about half an hour, so she had to be quick. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and carefully lifted a hand to her cheek. The bruise was starting to form, but she knew she could cover it up with some foundation. Ten minutes later the bruise was no longer noticeable at all. She quickly finished her makeup and quietly walked back to her room to finish getting ready.

Regina was getting ready to walk out the door to Emma's car when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Good morning, dear."

Regina turned to see her parents in the living room, drinking coffee.

"Good morning, mother."

Regina walked into the living room, over to her father, and kissed his cheek.

"Morning, daddy."

Henry. Sr. smiled at his daughter.

"Ready for your first day of junior year, sweetheart?"

"Yes, I am. Snow, Emma, and Tink are outside so I have to get going."

Regina was about to leave the room when her mother grabbed her arm.

"Let me see your cheek."

Regina froze and turned her face. Cora looked closely before grabbing her chin forcefully, causing Regina to wince.

"Good girl. Now, be good today. If not, well you know the consequences."

Regina swallowed the lump in her throat and gave a small nod before leaving quickly. Regina walked out the door and put a fake smile on her face as she walked to Emma's car.

Mary Margaret, Emma, Poppy, and Regina have all been friends since elementary school. Mary Margaret Blanchard was like the mother of their group. She was one of the sweetest girls Regina knew. She was head cheerleader, extremely smart, and she was dating quarterback David Nolan, whom they had known for years as well. Sounds like a fairytale right? That's why the couple was named Snow and Charming. Well, one of the reasons. Another reason being Mary Margaret really resembled Snow White and was an absolute Disney nerd. Then there is Poppy Bell, or Tink as her friends know her. Again, another Disney look alike/nerd. Her short blonde hair and pixie like height awarded her the name early on. Tink is one of the sassiest girls in the group, as well as a total flower child. And finally, there is Emma Swan, the badass of the group. Emma has been considered a bad influence on the girls, but they don't car. Emma has a heart of gold and will protect her friends and family no matter what.

So now here they are, Regina climbing into the passenger seat of the tiny yellow death trap Emma calls a car.

"Hey, Gina!" Tink smiled as Regina got settled. She turned to greet her friends with a smile before turning back around.

"So, who's ready for the 1st day of junior year?!" Snow practically squealed.

Emma let out a low groan, Tink nodded happily, and Regina smiled.

"I'm so excited to start all of my new classes, meet all the new recruits, and I am most excited to see David!" Snow grinned.

"Snow, you saw him YESTERDAY." Emma pointed out with an eye roll.

"So?! I miss him already!"

"I know what Regina's excited for!" Tink interrupted.

"And what might that be?" Regina asked as she checked her phone.

"Having all of your classes with robin, yet again!"

Ah, Robin. Robin Locksley transferred to Storybrooke High freshman year and he was in all of the same classes as Regina. They had instantly become the best of friends. Robin, like Regina and her friends, was very smart. He also was a very talented musician, making almost every girl, single or not, absolutely adore him. oh, and did I mention he moved her from England? Enough said.

But it was obvious to practically everyone that he and Regina were hopelessly in love with each other, obvious to everyone but themselves. Some of the teachers were secretly betting on when the two would finally get together.

"Kay, two things. One, no one knows their schedule yet, you don't know he will be in my classes. Two, of course I'm excited to see him. Other than the two of you, he is my best friend."

"Annnnnnnnnd he happens to be your soul mate!" Tink yelled.

"You know, I don't normally get into the soulmate shit when she brings it up with other people, but she's right about the two of you. Robin is so in love with you Regina, how can you not see it. And, we know you feel the same." Emma added.

Regina blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Guys, let it go. No matter what I feel, I would never act upon it. He is my best friend. What if something happened and we broke up. I can't loose him."

"So you do like him?!" Snow gasped.

Regina gaped for a minute before muttering, "I'm not answering that," causing Snow and Tink to squeal loudly.

A short while later they reached Storybrooke High and reported to the cafeteria to receive their schedules for the semester. Regina got into the line for students with last names beginning with the letters H-M. She stands there for a minute, hoping her makeup covering her cheek is still okay, before she hears that one deep, sexy English accent that makes her weak in the knees.

"I really hope we have classes together this semester, love."

Love. He called her love. God she loved it when he did that.

"You know we always end up having classes together." Regina responded as she turned around to face him. Her smiled covered her entire face, Robin had a habit of doing that to her. If Regina was to be completely honest, She had had a crush on Robin since she met him. But Robin was her best friend, it wasn't going to happen. It had been especially hard when Robin had dated that bitch Marian last year. At first Marian had pretended to be perfectly fine with Robins friendship with Regina, but not too long after they started dating, she tried to tell Robin that he couldn't talk to Regina at all anymore. Robin dumped her shortly after that.

"So, how was your summer?" Robin asked, pulling Regina from her thoughts.

"You know how it was, you were part of the majority of it."

Robin shrugged and grinned, his dimples making their appearance.

"Still. Tell me."

Regina laughed as they moved up in line.

"My summer was great. I got to hang out with the schools head cheerleader, the school badasses, star quarterback, the school flower child, and the school heartthrob. It was a diverse as The Breakfast Club."

Robin laughed loudly.

"School heartthrob?" He smirked.

"Robin, you know as well as I do that every girl in this school wants to date you."

Robin leaned in close.

"Every girl?"

Regina blushed.

"Uh, well-"

"Miss Mills."

Ms. Nova's voice pulls Regina and Robin out of their moment, and back to reality.

"Sorry, Ms. Nova. Thank you" Regina said as she was handed her schedule. She took a look at her classes for the semester as Robin received his schedule.

"Whatcha got this semester, Gina?"

Regina looked up at Robin, then back down at the paper she was holding.

"Oh, um, Pre Calculus, AP World History, AP Chemisty, and choir."

"Great! We have every class together. And it's nice to know you're keeping up with choir." Robin smirked.

"Yea, well I'm gonna find Snow, Tink, and Emma. I'm sure Killan and David are around here somewhere. I'll see you in a little bit."

Regina turned and started to walk away when Robin called out to her, "See you in class, love!"

Her faced turned bright red as she heard what he said. She took a deep breath and walked straight into the crowd of people, looking for her friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina quickly found her friends waiting for her, a smirk on each of their faces. Regina blushed a little bit but walked to them, with her head held high.

"What?" She asks, pretending not to know why they were smirking.

"You know what." Tink stated plainly.

Regina rolled her eyes.

"No, I don't. What did you see? All I know is I had a conversation with my friend Robin."

"He called you love and you guys had a moment." Emma added quietly.

Regina just shook her head.

"I'm going to my locker and going to class."

Regina turned on her heel and went to find her lock. Tink, Emma, and Snow all looked at each other before following behind Regina.

Regina was sitting in the second row, close to the door, in her Pre Calculus class. She was looking down at her hands when she felt someone's presence next to her. She looked at the seat next to her and immediately locked eyes with Robin. He smiled at Regina before pulling out his binder.

"Ready for this semester, Gina?"

Regina nodded and pulled at the sleeves of her shirt self consciously.

"Yea, I'm more than ready."

Robin looked at her.

"How can you wear long sleeves and leggings on a hot day like this, love?"

Regina just shrugged.

"The heat doesn't bother me."

Robin was going to ask more, because he knew something was off, but class was beginning.

Thankfully, and sadly at the same time, the day went by pretty quickly. Emma managed to get detention somehow, so Robin offered Regina a ride home.

The ride home was eerily quiet. Robin normally could tell what exactly was wrong with Regina, but this was different.

"Regina?"

"Hm?" She turned to look at him. She saw the concern in his eyes.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

She nodded and looked down at her phone.

"Yea, I know that. Why?"

"Because there is something wrong, I know it. You're standoffish, quiet, and you look fragile. Has something happened?"

Regina tensed and shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong. Why would something be wrong. I always tell you when something's wrong."

"Regina...you're rambling. I know something is wrong." Robin pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in park.

"Talk to me, Regina..."

Regina just shook her head.

"Nothing is wrong, Robin. I swear."

"Stop lying to me!" Robin yelled and Regina jumped and looked at him with fear in her eyes. She started picturing her mother and how she constantly yells and screams and hits her and Regina was scared to death. Robin instantly regretted yelling at her and his features softened a bit but that didn't help Regina at all. She started grabbing all of her stuff and she went to unbuckle her seat belt but Robins hand stopped her. She jumped again.

"Let me out of this car."

"Gina, I'm-"

"Let me out of the fucking car, Robin!" She screamed.

Robin couldn't believe how she was acting. He had never seen Regina like this. He gave in and moved his hand and let her do what she needed to do. He watched her gather all of her belongings and get out of the car and slam the door. She got on the sidewalk and walked towards her house. Robin slammed his hands down on his steering wheel and sat there for a few minutes before putting the car in drive and driving home.

Regina got home and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized her mother wasn't home yet. She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door and walked straight to her room. She quickly changed into a tshirt and shorts and sat down at her desk to start her homework when the doorbell rang. She, not thinking about her appearance, got up to go answer the door. She opened the door to see Robin and gave a sad smile, which quickly disappeared when she saw his eyes widen. She instantly remembered she wasn't wearing her long sleeve shirt and leggings anymore and her bruises were now exposed.

"Gina?" Robin was speechless. He saw a big bruise on her upper arm, a faded one on her forearm, and a bruise on her thigh.

Regina started shaking. He wasn't supposed to see her like this. No one was. She had to hide her mothers abuse from EVERYONE. But now, she was exposed.

"Robin,you need to go..."

Regina went to shut the door but Robins hand stopped her.

"No. I'm not going to leave. Not until you explain all of the bruises on your arms and leg."

"Robin...my mother will be home soon and you cannot be here..."

"Then grab your stuff and come with me."

"I can't. I'm supposed to be home. She'll be mad that I'm not home."

"I don't care, love. Come to my house. I'll say that my mother invited you to dinner or something...please..."

Regina sighed and motioned for him to come in.

"I have to change first. Come on."

Regina went up to her room and Robin followed. Regina grabbed her shirt and leggings and was about to go to her bathroom.

"Robin, can you grab all of my stuff for school so my mother doesn't realize I even came home...so she thinks we went straight to your house."

Robin just nodded, not knowing what to say, and watched her walk to the bathroom.

Regina came out a few minutes later and Robin had all of her stuff ready. They walked down the stairs and out to Robins car. Again, this car ride was just as quiet as the one earlier. Thankfully, it didn't take long to get to Robins, seeing as though he only lived 5 minutes away. Robins mother was very happy to see Regina. She hugged her and Robin couldn't help but notice how she seemed like the Regina that he always knew.

"We're gonna go downstairs to watch a movie, okay mom?"

His mother nodded.

"Okay, I'll call when dinners ready."

The two nodded and went downstairs. Regina sat down on the couch and went to text her mom that Robin invited her to dinner.

Robin approached her cautiously and sat down. He turned on the tv and just turned on a random movie, which happened to be Robin Hood, and turned to her. Reginas eyes were in her lap, but she could feel his eyes on her.

"What do you want to know, Robin..."

"If I ask you questions do you swear to answer them truthfully?"

Regina just nodded but remained quiet.

"Who did this to you? I know it's definitely not your father."

Regina sighed. It's now or never.

"My mother..."

"Who knows?"

"My father and you...now."

"How long?"

Regina shifted uncomfortably.

"It's kinda been going on for a long time, but it's only started getting bad since high school started."

Robin sat there quietly, not knowing what else to say.

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

Robin thought about the question for a minute before grabbing her hands, forcing her to look at him.

"Are you okay?"

He knew the answer to his question but he needed to know.

Regina took in a deep breath and tried to control her tears, but it didn't work. Her shoulders started shaking and she looked him right in the eyes and shook her head.

"No."

You could barley hear what she said, it was basically a whisper, but Robin heard her clear as day, and he pulled her into his lap and hugged her and let her cry. He held her as tight as he could, without hurting her, and tried to calm her down. He rubbed her back, kissed the top of her head, and whispered in her ear that it was going to be okay. He couldn't believe how small Regina felt in his arms. He knew that she was a very strong person, and could hold her own, but his heart broke to see her like this. He loved her more than anything in the world, but he wouldn't tell her that, and he had to protect her. He would do anything to protect her.

Regina finally started to calm down and they sat in silence for a while. She was still curled up in his lap and her face was pressed up against the side of his neck.

"Robin?" She said after a while.

"Yes, love"

Regina sat up a little to look at him and Robin noticed that her face makeup was basically gone due to her crying and he could see what looked like a big purple bruise on her left cheek.

"No one can know. You can't tell anyone. Not your parents, not Emma, not snow, not Tink, not a soul. You have to promise me."

Robin reached out a hand tentatively and caressed the bruised cheek and felt Regina flinch a little before relaxing a little. Robin remained quiet, causing Regina to speak again.

"Robin, promise me that no one will find out."

He sighed and nodded. Regina relaxed even more.

"Thank you." She whispered.

They sat like that for a while, Regina sitting in his lap, facing her, before she moved to get up. She grabbed her purse and started searching.

"What are you looking for?"

"My makeup. I can't face your mother with this bruise on my cheek."

Robin just nodded and let her go. Regina came out a few minutes later, looking beautiful and put together, ready to face the world, and Robin knew that he had to do something about this situation. And quick. Or something seriously bad could happen to Regina.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina stayed at Robins for as long as she could. Once they finished dinner they went back downstairs and watched another Disney movie, to keep Regina calm and to lighten the mood. Robin kept a hold of her though. He just couldn't let go of her, he had to keep her safe. But Regina was not going to complain. She loved being in his arms. He was her safe place. Regina eventually fell asleep in his arms and was woken up when her mother called her, telling her she needed to get home now. She sighed shakily and grabbed her belongings. Robin drove her home and before she got out of the car, he placed a hand on her leg.

"Text me later, after you get settled. Let me know that you're alright..."

"Rob-"

"Please." He interrupted her and to Regina it sound like he was going to cry. She could only nod before she got out of the car.

Regina opened the door and turned to give Robin a small smile before she disappeared behind the door.

Robin waited a minute before pulling out of the driveway, checking his phone as soon as he got home.

Regina went to walk upstairs when she was stopped by a cold voice.

"Get back down here."

Regina stopped in her tracks before turning around on the stairs and walking back into the living room.

"Mother-"

"No, you don't get to speak just yet. You know damn well that you do not go anywhere without my approval first." Cora stated harshly as she got up from her chair by the fireplace.

"Robin asked me last minute, on the ride home. I didn't think you'd mind."

Right as Regina finished her sentence Cora slapped her hard on the cheek, causing Regina to cry out in pain.

"Yes, I know damn well you didn't think. And I'm sure it was 'only dinner'. Were his parents even home Regina? Or were you two alone and taking advantage of the empty house?"

Regina gaped at her mother.

"Yes his parents were there. And Robin and I are just friends, mother."

She slapped Regina again.

"Don't lie to me you little slut. You know what happens when you lie to me!"

"But I'm not lying!"

This time Cora backhanded Regina so hard that her ring left a gash in her cheek and it made Regina stumble and fall back against the wall. She looked at her mother with fear in her eyes.

Oh, darling, you think that was bad? I'm just getting started."

Regina's eyes widened even more, if that was even possible, and she slid down the wall to cover her body.

Regina was finally able to "relax" in her room about two hours later. Her mother was in her study, working, and her father was away on business. After everything, Regina went to take a bath, a long one at that. She sat and cried the whole time. She wanted to cry to Robin, but she couldn't pull herself to do it. She didn't want to drag him into her mess and have him get hurt.

Regina had just changed and pulled an outfit out for tomorrow when her phone beeped.

She saw that she had about ten messages from Robin, all making sure she was okay; some sounding more worried than the other.

"I'm here...I'm sorry..."

Her phone started ringing two seconds later and she sighed before answering it.

"Hi." She spoke quietly.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked right away.

Regina sniffled a little.

"I will be..."

" happened?"

"She freaked out on me accusing me of things I didn't do and she called me a slut."

"Did she hit you?"

Regina hesitated and Robin sighed.

"How bad, Regina?"

"Well...I have a black eye, a gash on my cheek, a cheek that stings, and a fresh bruise arm."

"Regina..."

"Robin, it's okay. It will all be covered up tomorrow and I'll be okay."

"But you're not okay, Gina. How can I help you?"

"By not telling anyone."

"But there has to be something I can do love. I can't stand seeing you like this."

"Robin, there is nothing you can do. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Gina, love, I feel the same way. What if something happens to you and I knew that this was happening and I did nothing to stop it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself...I can't live without you..."

"Robin..."

"Please, just let me help you in any way that I can...I don't want you to have to go through this alone anymore..."

Regina stayed quiet for a while.

"Regina?"

"Okay."

"Thank you, love."

They stayed on the phone, silent, for a short while longer before Regina spoke.

"I have to go. I'll see you in the morning."

"Let me drive you tomorrow. Just tomorrow morning. Text Emma or something and tell her I want to drive you tomorrow."

"ok..."

"Thank you, Regina. I'll see you in just a few hours. Sweet dreams, my love."

Regina blushed when he called her 'my love' and she thanked God that he couldn't see her right now.

"See you in the morning. And Robin? Thank you."

Regina got up early again the next morning, hoping to avoid her mother, and she needed the extra time to cover her bruises and cut. She looked at herself in the mirror for the first time since last night and winced. Her black eye was swollen and the bruise on her arm was a bright purple...thankfully, though, the gash was starting to heal and her cheek was no longer red. She got right to work on her bruises and soon, you could hardly tell. But you could tell her eye was slightly swollen, but she figured she could blame it on allergies or something. She looked in the mirror one last time, satisfied with how she looked, and went back to her room to get ready. She checked her phone and saw she had a text from Robin.

"Leaving in five minutes."

Regina responded saying that she would be outside waiting and she quickly got dressed, grabbed her purse and backpack and crept down the stairs.

"Regina."

She sighed and turned around to let her mother examine her face and arm. Regina chose to wear another long sleeve shirt (thankfully for Regina it was a thin shirt) and jeans.

Her mother examined her face and frowned.

"You can see your eye is swollen."

Regina gulped and looked down.

"Allergies."

Her mother nodded in approval and let her go. Regina was glad that she didn't ask who was driving her this morning.

As Regina was walking out the door, she saw Robin's car pulling up. She gave a small smile to him as she walked to his car. She got in his car, throwing her backpack in the back seat, and turned her head to look out the window.

"Gina, look at me."

Regina sighed and turned her head to look at him.

Robin studied her face for a moment before reaching out a hand to carefully caress her cheek.

"Your eyes still swollen."

Regina nodded in agreement.

"If asked, it's allergies."

"Love, anyone who really knows you will know that you aren't allergic to anything."

"Well what else am I supposed to say, Robin? Oh, this? My mother gave me a black eye last night? It's the only thing I can do."

Robin sighed and nodded.

"Why are you so early?"

"I needed to get you out of that house."

That caused Regina to give him a small smile as Robin drove to the school. It didn't take long to get there and Robin pulled into the back of the student parking lot. He turned off the car and turned to look at Regina. She may, physically, look okay, but Robin knows better. She could feel his eyes on her but she couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"I wish we didn't have to be here today."

"Let's skip then."

"You know damn well that I can't do that. My teachers would tell my mother."

Well, it's almost the weekend. I'll help you escape then."

Regina nodded slowly.

"So...are you going to homecoming?"

"I wish, but you know I can't. I'm not getting a long sleeved dress to cover up do you think I've never gone?"

Robin nodded in understanding.

"Are you going?"

Robin shrugged.

"Probably not. Won't be fun."

"Why not? Killian, Emma, Tink, Snow, and David will be there."

"Yea, but you won't."

Regina tensed at that, shocked that he would even say that, and she turned to look at him. He gave Regina a small smile and grabbed her hand. Regina blushed a little and looked down at her lap. Robin reached out a a hand and placed it underneath her chin, making her look at him. Regina locked eyes with him and her face reddened even more.

"You look beautiful today, by the way."

Regina scoffed.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you saw what was underneath all the makeup."

"Yes, I would. You are beautiful all the time...Gina?" Robin moved his hand from under her chin to carefully cup her cheek.

"Hm?"

"Why did your mother call you a slut last night...?"

She sighed.

"She accused me of lying, saying that I was sleeping with you and that your parents probably weren't home yesterday and we we're taking advantage of the time alone."

Robin just stared.

"Are you serious?"

She shook her head.

"I wish I was."

"I wish there was something I could do."

Regina sighed and leaned into the palm cupping her cheek.

"But you are doing something, you're being my friend."

Robin shook his head.

"No, I wish I could protect you and stop your mother."

Regina smiled and shook her head. She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned and sat on her knees. She leaned in and kissed Robin's cheek.

"You have always protected me."

Robin and Regina locked eyes as she pulled away from his cheek. He moved a hand to cup her cheek again and he slowly started to lean in closer to Regina. He stopped when their lips were an inch apart.

"Regina."

Her eyes, which had closed as he leaned into her, opened and met his piecing blue gaze.

"Robin."

They stared for a second longer before Robin closed the gap and his lips finally pressed against hers.


	4. Chapter 4

"They stared for a second longer before Robin closed the gap and his lips finally pressed against hers."

Regina moved herself as close as she could to Robin, given the circumstances. She couldn't believe this was happening. The kiss didn't last very long, but to Regina it was perfect. Lord help her if her mother ever found out. Her mother didn't want her dating. This was her first kiss. 17 years old and she is just now having her first kiss. She isn't sure if Robin remembers that detail; they had this conversation in a round of questions their first summer as friends.

When Robin pulled back, he only pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers. They remained quiet only for a short while.

"So...how was your first kiss?" Robin tried to hide his smirk but that didn't go too well. Regina laughed and smiled.

"You remembered."

"I remember everything you have told me, love. but you didn't answer my question." Robin joked.

Regina blushed.

"It was great." She replied quietly.

Robin grinned and leaned in and kissed her again quickly.

"So does this mean you are my girlfriend? I'd love to be able to call you that. I've honestly wanted to be able to call you that for a long time."

"Robin...this, can never happen again. I'm sorry. If my mother found out I was dating, when she's told me I am not allowed, she will kill the both of us. Lord help me if she finds out you kissed me. I can't let her hurt you..." Regina looked away.

"Regina, I can't believe I am saying this but your mother doesn't have to know. Hell, no one has to know if you don't want to. I don't really know how you feel about me, all I know is that you didn't push me away or slap me or run after I kissed you, but let me tell you this, I care deeply for you. I don't really know what love feels like, but I do know that I would do anything for you. I think you are stunning, in every way. I love everything about you; your personality, how kind you are, your intelligence, your smile, your laugh, you are adorable when your angry...I'm sorry I'm babbling but I just want you to know how much I care for you. I have felt this way since the day I met you, but I didn't think you felt the same way and I was worried I would lose you."

Regina sat in her seat, stunned by his words. She had no clue how much he really cared. She knew he did care, but couldn't believe how much.

Regina placed her hand on his face, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"Robin...you see what she does to me, I can't let her hurt you, because she will."

Robin smirked and turned his face to press a kiss to her palm.

"I'm not scared of her love."

"But you really, really should be. You've seen what she's done to me."

Robin just shook his head.

"I am not scared of her, and I will protect you no matter what."

Regina gave him a small smile.

She leaned her forehead back against his and just enjoyed their moment alone. But little did they know, a figure was watching them from the school, fuming.

Regina and Robin tried to act as normal as possible, all throughout the day, but they weren't as subtle as they thought.

They were all sitting at their lunch table (Emma, Snow, Tink, David, Killian, Regina, and Robin) and Emma interrupted everyone's conversations.

"Okay, Regina, Robin, seriously. You all need to stop making eyes at each other. You're not being subtle and these looks are more nauseating than Snow and David in general."

Robins eyes grew the size of saucers and Regina turned as red as a tomato and looked down at her food.

Robin cleared his throat and was about to speak when Regina spoke up first.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Emma is right. You guys are not subtle at all. Not that I'm not extremely happy that something has finally happened, but you guys just need to own up to it." Tink smirked.

Regina just rolled her eyes and continued to eat her food. She finished quickly and got up, grabbing her bag and threw away her trash. She didn't return to the table though, she walked up the stairs and they all saw her go into the library.

"What up with her?" Killian asked and all eyes turned to Robin.

"I don't know, why do you assume I know?"

"Well maybe because you have every class together and you drove her to school this morning." Emma raised an eyebrow.

"She hasn't said a word to me." Robin just stated and got up to throw his trash away and went to the library to check on Regina, not caring that all of his friends knew that he was going to see Regina.

He saw her sitting in the corner, "doing homework". He walked over and sat down next to her. She sighed and dropped her pen and dropped her head in her hands.

Robin checked the area around them before placing a hand on her back, rubbing slowly, and kissing the side of her head.

"I'm sorry." Regina told him, her voice slightly muffled due to her hands.

"Don't be. I know you don't want people to know just yet."

She shook her head.

"It's not even that, it's I'm worried my mother will find out and I can't let that happen."

Robin nodded and just held her close.

"I trust those girls with my life, but there are things even they don't know, obviously. And I feel like Tink would freak out and scream if I told them and that would bring attention to me and then it would all come crashing down. I just got you, I can't lose you."

"You won't, I won't let it happen."

"You can't guarantee nothing will happen."

"I will always be here for you, no matter what happens. Your mother, or anyone for that matter. I will be here for you always."

Regina looked up from her hands and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." She whispered.

The rest of the day went rather smoothly and Robin took Regina home again. The ride home was pleasant, that is until Regina saw that her mother was home early, extremely early in fact. She froze when she saw her car in the driveway and almost forgot how to breathe. Robin grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"It's gonna be okay."

Regina nodded and took a deep breath.

"Okay, well I will talk to you later."

Robin watched her as she began to grab her stuff.

"Text me as soon as you can."

Regina nodded.

She took another deep breath and got out of the car.

Regina had an uneasy feeling as she walked into her house. It was way too quiet. She looks around, and her eyes finally rest on her mothers silhouette standing by the fire place. She tensed up, remembering the last time her mother was home much earlier than normal and she placed her stuff down by the steps.

"Hello, mother."

"So I saw something from my office window this morning, dear. It was a rather interesting sight. Do you know what it was?"

Regina gulped.

"Um-"

"I saw Robins car, alone in the student parking lot, and you were in the passenger seat. What really was interesting was I saw the two of you kiss, not only once, but twice. So that not only means that you have disobeyed me, because I have told you that you are not to be dating, but you also lied to my face yesterday when you told me that you were "just friends." So dear, care to explain?"

Regina had no idea what to say. She was speechless. And she knew there was nothing she could say to have her mother calm down. She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her long hair.

"So you have nothing to say? Fine, come with me." She grabbed her daughters arm roughly.

"Whe-where are we going?"

"Just shut up."

Cora took her up to the master bathroom and basically threw Regina down to sit on the toilet. Cora rummaged through her drawer for a moment before pulling out a pair of sharp scissors. Reginas eyes widened In horror. No. Her mother couldn't be doing this again. She hadn't down this in years. The last time she did this, Regina was six and had disobeyed her badly.

Cora turned with an evil, malicious grin. She walked towards her slowly.

"Mother, please-"

"No. You know you have really disobeyed me. You are going to get what you deserve."

Cora grabbed a section of Reginas hair and cut it drastically. The section now only went to her shoulder. Cora did it again and again until it was all cut to a little above her shoulder. Her gorgeous hair, Regina's favorite part about her appearance, the aspect that made her beautiful, was all gone. She sat there crying silently. Her mother grinned at her handy work and threw her scissors in the sink.

"Stop crying like a fucking baby, Regina." She snapped, slapping Regina across the face as she spoke.

Regina gasped at the pain and forced herself to stop.

"Now, be a good daughter for once and clean up the mess YOU'VE created. And when you're done, come downstairs to my study to receive more of your punishment."

And with that, Cora left the bathroom. Regina got up and shut the door and locked it. She slid down to the floor, her back against the door, and curled up in a ball and sobbed.

It was much later when Regina was finally able to go to her room. She dropped her stuff by her bed and grabbed what she needed in order to do her homework. She looked up into her mirror and gasped when she saw her appearance. Her hair was extremely short, her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks were bright red and she had a new bruise on her cheek. Her arms were all bruised up and she had cut marks all along her bicep. She started to cry again. This was the worst she had ever looked after one of her mother episodes. She sat there, wondering what possessed her mother to act like this. She had always been mean and harsh, but never to this extreme. She was going to have a hell of a time covering everything up tomorrow. She shook her head, whipped her tears, and forced herself to sit and focus on her homework. She saw her phone laying on the floor and reached out to grab it with a shaky hand. She unlocked it and read all of her messages from Robin. She didn't know what to say, so she typed out something short.

"She knows. And she is driving me to school tomorrow."

As soon as her message sent, she put her phone on the charger and turned it off. This was just something she would deal with in the morning.

Authors Note: I just want to thank everyone for all of the reviews I have gotten! I love that you all love the story. This is the first story I have ever really continued and I love writing it. I want to give a shoutout to EvilQueensDaughterRapunzel for the idea of Cora cutting Reginas hair. I really hope I did your idea justice and I want to thank you! And another shoutout to OutlawQueenOncers for all of your support. I'm so glad I have met you and I am so grateful for your help with this story!

Hope you guys enjoy the update! XOXO-Sam


	5. Chapter 5

_6 year old Regina is wakes up in the middle of the night and all she feels is wet. Her eyes quickly open and she looks down underneath her blanket and begins to shake. She hasn't wet the bed in years, why would she do it now? She's 6 years old for gods sakes, she shouldn't be doing that anymore. She was now scared to death. What would her mom think? Her mother yelled at her the last time she did this, and she was 3 years old then. She was supposed to be a big girl and big girls don't wet the bed. She started to tiptoe down the hall to the linen closet to grab a towel and new sheets. As she was creeping back down the hall, in the dark, the lights suddenly click on and young Regina freezes. She whips her body around, her long black hair flipping almost dramatically, and she turns to see her mother with a stone cold look on her face._

 _"Just what do you think you're doing, young lady?"_

 _Regina began to stutter and she began shaking again. The only thing she was able to get out was "I peed the bed" and "I am so sorry, mommy."_

 _Cora just stared at her young daughter and Regina thought maybe she wouldn't be in trouble. Then, her mother grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall, into the master bathroom. She forced Regina to sit and grabbed a pair of scissors. She approached Regina slowly, Regina had never seen her mother look so scary. She watched her mother with wide eyes and she came to stand directly in front of her. She roughly grabbed a section of Reginas hair and chopped her hair off until it rested right under her chin. Regina gasped in horror. Tears started streaming down her face._

 _"Don't cry like a little baby, Regina. But then again, I guess you are a little baby since you wet the damn bed. Now, take your punishment like a big girl."_

 _Cora continued to chop Reginas hair off. Regina stared at the floor, watching each section fall to the floor. She didn't know what to do. She looked up into the doorway and saw her father. He had tears streaming down his own cheeks. He wanted to help his daughter but knew there was nothing he could do, as Cora would just make things worse on her if he tried._

 _"Daddy...help me..." Regina whimpered._

 _Cora cackled. She didn't bother to turn to face her husband as she spoke._

 _"Henry, go back to bed if you know what's good for you."_

 _Regina locked eyes with her father and started crying again._

 _"Daddy...please..."_

Regina woke with a start as her alarm started to go off. The nightmare had been crazy. It was like she was reliving the moment all over again. She went to run a hand through her hair but froze when it stopped right above her shoulders. She had totally forgotten. She got up and ran to the bathroom and took a look at herself. She looked terrible. What was she going to do? Well, there was only one thing she could do. She brushed her hair quickly, covered up all of her bruises and cuts, and finished getting ready. Once she finished getting ready she took one last look in the mirror and sighed. She turned to grab her stuff for school and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where she knew her mother would be waiting for her.

Her mother looked up at her with a cold stare. She took in her daughters appearance and seemed satisfied with her work. She smirked at her daughter before grabbing her own bag.

"Ready, dear?"

Regina nodded and followed her mother out the door.

The car ride was short and quiet. Regina got out as soon as she could, hoping her mother would just let her go, which the thankfully did, and she went straight to her locker.

"Gina?"

Regina turned to see Emma, Snow, and Tink all staring at her.

"Hi guys." Regina tried to smile but it didn't reach her eyes like it normally should.

"You cut your hair?" Tink questioned.

"Yea, I did."

Her three friends all turned to look at each other.

"Gina, what's wrong?" Snow reached out to touch Regina shoulder. Regina winced and moved from the touch.

"Nothing's wrong. I gotta go to class. I'll see you at lunch."

"Gina, class doesn't start for another ten minutes." Emma pointed out.

"Nothing wrong with being early. See you guys later." Regina shut her locker and moved past her friends, heading down the hall to her class.

The three just stood by their friends locker, not sure what to make of their conversation with Regina.

"Guys!" They heard Robin yell to them. They turned to see him practically running toward them.

"Have you seen Rgina this morning? Is she hear?"

Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, she just went to class. Did something happen between the two of you?"

"Okay, I'm gonna go find her. I'll see you all later." Robin pushed past them, ignoring Emma's second question.

"What the hell is wrong with them today?" Emma asked as she looked at her friends.

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out later." Snow added and they all walked away, towards their classes.

Robin got to the classroom and thanked God that even the teacher wasn't in there yet. The only person in the room was Regina. Robin's eyes grew as wide as saucers when his eyes finally got to focus on Regina. He couldn't help but gasp as he took in her appearance. Reginas head shot up and turned to look at him.

"Gina..." He whispered. He saw the pain in her eyes as she looked at him and his heart broke.

He walked over to her and dropped his stuff at his desk before he carefully grabbed her face in his hands.

"I'm so glad you're okay. What did she do to you..." He uttered in disbelief.

Regina looked away from Robins gaze.

"I know...it's hideous...she cut it all off last night...that was the first round of punishment." She whispered, trying not to cry.

"No, sweetheart, it's not hideous. You look absolutely beautiful no matter what."

Regina just shook her head.

"No, it's too short. My long hair was beautiful. This is short and disgusting."

"Well I happen to love it. How did she find out though?"

"She saw us in your car from her office window."

Robin frowned.

"I'm sorry darling, I didn't even think she could see us from there."

Regina shook her head.

"It's fine, but like I said, nothing else can happen. We just need to stay friends..."

"Why. She already knows. And if she tells you you can't date me, we do it secretly. I will protect you."

"Robin, no. Do you see what she's done to me. No one can protect me once we get behind closed doors. We need to just stay friends."

"No, what we need to do is report her. She can't get away with what she does to you. What does your father even think? I know he is away a lot for work, but he's got to be home sometime. Why doesn't he do anything?"

"Robin...she's not just abusive to me. She's like this with him too. And there is nothing we can do. She is a powerful figure in the community and is either loved and feared by all. There is no way they would believe that she was doing this to me or daddy. She'd find a way to place blame on someone else, or find a way out of it. There is nothing we can do."

The bell rang loudly, and their classmates and teacher started coming in and taking their seats. Regina pulled away from Robin quickly and put on her brave face. Robin watched her as her demeanor completely changed and just shook his head. There had to be something he could do. Talk to a trusted teacher? A police office? There had to be someone. Maybe he could make an anonymous tip about seeing the bruises and black eyes and cuts? But he had to be careful that whoever he told would take him seriously, and keep it between them until they knew they could get Regina, and even her father, out of the situation. He just needed a plan. And he was going to start thinking as soon as he possibly could. He had to save her. Cora's punishments were getting worse and worse. Who knows what could happen next? Regina end up in the hospital? ...Dead? Robin shook his head, trying to get the images of Regina in the hospital, or worse, out of his head. He stared ahead, trying to focus on what he was being taught, but there was no way he would be able to focus. He sighed and turned to look at her and his heart broke. He could see the pain in her eyes and he could tell she was hurting. He needed to figure out what to do about this situation, and soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina remained quiet for much of the day. Her friends had no idea what to do, but when lunch rolled around, they decided on having an intervention.

"Okay, Gina. What's up with you today?" Emma spoke first.

Regina looked up from her lunch and saw the concerned looks on her best friends faces.

"What are you talking about?"

"You aren't acting like yourself. You extremely quiet, standoffish, you hair hasn't been this short since you were in like 1st grade, and you won't really make eye contact with anyone." Tink explained.

"Gina, you know you can tell us anything. We're here for you. You know that." Snow placed a hand over top of Regina's, and Regina flinched at the gesture.

She looked around at all of her friends. Not only was everyone at the table's attention on her, but they all could basically see through her act. Robin sat next to her and placed a hand on her leg, trying to comfort her, but Regina couldn't take it. She got up and threw her lunch away, no longer hungry, and walked into the bathroom. It only took a moment for Snow, Emma, and Tink to follow her. Thankfully, the bathroom was empty. They see Regina sitting on the floor in the back corner of the bathroom. They immediately walk over to her and Snow bends down to make eye contact with her.

"Regina...please...talk to us. We'v never seen you like this...we just want to help you."

"No one can help me, so you can just stop."

Regina tried to get up to move past them, but Emma roughly grabbed onto her upper arm, not knowing that right there is where a bruise is, and Regina cried out in pain. Emma's eyes widened, as well as Tink and Snows, and Snow stood right in Regina's way.

"Regina?"

Regina kept her head down, but the girls could still see tears in the corner of her eyes.

Emma began to pull the loose fitting long sleeve shirt off Regina's shoulder. Regina started to protest, trying to squirm away, but she didn't succeed. They instantly saw why Regina cried out; there had to be at least 6 bruises, of different shapes and sizes, some newer than others, covering her arm.

"Oh my god, Gina, what happened to you?" Tink almost screamed. Snow quickly went to the bathroom door and locked it, so now one else would be able to come in and interrupt.

"Did you get in an accident?" Emma questioned.

"No. I know she didn't. These couldn't come from an accident." Snow observed.

Regina just stood there, not talking.

"Did Robin do this to you?" Snow asked.

Regina looked up at her, furious.

"Do you really think Robin would do something like this to me?! He would NEVER hurt me!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry, Regina, but I'm narrowing down options. There is no way it's your father, he loves you too much and he's always away on business..." Snow eyes widened as she comes to a possible conclusion. "Regina...there is only one other person who could possibly do this...is it your mother?"

Regina visibly tensed under Emma's hold and that's when the girls knew.

"Oh my god..." Tink whispered as she saw bruises covering her skin.

Emma hugged her friend as close as she could, without hurting her.

"How long has this been happening, Gina?"

"Years. But it got worse once I started high school..."

"You've been hiding it all this time...?" Snow asked in disbelief.

Regina just nodded, tears starting to stream down her face.

"And your hair?" Tink asked, running her hand through her now short hair.

"She found out about something and got angry and cut my hair off."

"What about when we were younger?" Emma questioned.

"I had accidentally wet the bed. She yelled at me, dragged me down the hall to her bathroom, grabbed a pair of scissors, and chopped all of my hair off."

"What did your father do?" Tink whispered.

"Daddy came into the bathroom, or well stood at the door, and I begged him to help me...mother told him to go back to bed if he knew what was good for him. He was crying, not as hard as I was, but he was crying and he just stood there..." Regina whimpered, reliving the horrible nightmare and tragedy.

"Oh, honey..." Snow whispered and the girls gathered in a group hug, Regina basically squished in the middle.

"Guys...can someone go grab my backpack and purse? I need to fix my makeup..." Regina rasped out.

"I'll go get it." Emma offered.

"Don't let anyone know..." Regina whispered.

"Who all knows, Regina?"

Regina let out a long sigh.

"The three of you and Robin."

"How did Robin find out?"

"He came over one afternoon a few days ago, and I wasn't thinking and I had on a short sleeve shirt and and shorts and he saw everything. He had my change and grab all of my stuff and he took me to his house where everything finally came out."

The girls nodded and Emma left to go grab Regina's bags.

"Emma!" Robin yelled after her as Emma walked away.

She turned to look at him.

"Is she okay...?"

Emma shrugged.

"I mean, we know now. And she broke down. So she's not all that well, but we're trying to take care of her."

Robin nodded.

Emma just left and walked back to the bathroom. She knocked on the door, assuming that Snow locked it again. It opened slightly and Snow peeked her head out slightly. She pulled Emma back in and locked the door behind her.

"Thank you, Emma...did anyone stop you and question you?"

"Robin did. He was just asking if you were alright."

Regina sighed and nodded. She got her makeup bag out of her backpack and got to work.

"Regina, what else is going on with Robin. There is something else, I can see it." Tink questioned as she came to stand next to her.

Regina blushed and tried to focus on her makeup.

"Well...the night I went to his house he was very "loving" and just wanted to protect me. He picked me up for school the next morning, a little early, and we sat in his car, in the student parking lot and just talked about everything. Next thing I know, we're kissing."

"Your first kiss!" Snow squealed.

"Is he a good kisser?" Emma smirked.

Regina's face was so red.

"I'm not answering that."

Tink laughed and laid her head on Regina shoulder.

"What else happened?" She asked.

Regina leaned against Tink as well.

"We talked a little more, about how I believe we just need to be friends because my mother would kill me and probably him if she found out, he told me how much he cared about me, and he kissed me one last time before we realized what time it was. Then we went into the school, acting like nothing happened."

The girls smiled.

"That afternoon though, my mother stopped me before I went upstairs. She had seen everything from her office window. That's when all of this happened." Regina motioned to the new bruises and her hair.

"Oh my gosh honey, I am so sorry."

Regina just nodded. She observed her face in the mirror, you couldn't tell she had ever broken down and cried.

The girls gossiped for the rest of the time, trying to keep Regina's mind off of the situation as much a possible. As soon as Regina finished her makeup, and put her makeup bag away, the girls carefully hugged her again.

"We love you, Gina." Snow whispered.

Regina sniffed and hugged them back, tightly.

"I love you girls to the moon and back."

The stayed there for a minute before unlocking the door and going back to their table. Thankfully, there was only five minutes left of lunch. Regina sat back down next to Robin, Snow next to David, Tink next to Snow.

Robin layer a hand on the small of Regina's back. She laid her head on his shoulder and he turned to kiss the top of her head.

"You okay?" He whispered in her ear. She took a deep breath and just nodded. Regina and Robin remained quiet the rest of lunch.

After lunch was over, Snow made a quick pit stop before going to class. She approached Principal Mills office. She knocked on the door and waited to hear an answer.

"Come in."

Snow took a deep breath and tried to push away her emotions after everything she has learned and walked in.

"Mary Margaret! How are you, dear?" Cora asked, Snow recognized the fake smile on her face.

"I'm good, Mrs. Mills. I just have a quick question for you."

"Of course, dear! What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering if Regina could come over my house this afternoon. It will be us, Emma, and Poppy. I just wanna have a girls afternoon." Snow gave an innocent smile, hoping she would agree.

Cora stared at her for a brief moment.

"Of course, dear. Just have her text me later."

Snow nodded.

"Thank you so much. I'll have her text you later."

Snow quickly left the room, and headed to her next class. She texted Regina right before class started.

"You're coming over today, your mom agreed. Find us at the end of the day."

She then typed out a quick text to Robin before she put her phone away.

"Robin, we need to figure out how to help Regina. Come over this afternoon. We'll all talk then. This problem ends now."

Snow put her phone away with a triumphant smile on her face. Things could hopefully only get better from here.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina met Snow by her locker that afternoon. Emma and Tink joined moments later and they set off to Emma's car.

As soon as they got in the car, Snow turned to Regina.

"Robin's coming over too. My dad is fine with it and we're gonna all sit out at the lake (behind her house is a small lake) and we'll have the privacy to just talk about everything."

Regina just nodded, knowing there was nothing she could do nothing to stop Snow.

"When did you talk to my mom? And how did you get her to say yes?"

Snow smirked.

"I was a total kiss ass. I was extremely nice and sweet and batted my eyelashes. I asked her if you could come over, told her it was just going to be the four of us, and that I wanted to have a girls afternoon. She doesn't know about Robin. I feel like if she did, you wouldn't have been allowed to come. So none of us can breathe a word about Robin coming over. And I know our parents don't talk like we do, but no one can breathe a word. Clear?" She looked at everyone in the car. They all nodded and Emma drove to Snow's. As soon as they got there, they peeked in to say hello to Snow's dad and went out back to sit by the lake. They weren't out there long before Robin came out, being sent by Snow's dad and Regina just took a deep breath. She looked around at her friends and felt very vulnerable. She hated this feeling but she should have known she was going to have to face it eventually. She took one last deep breath before speaking.

"So, what was the purpose of this meeting. I know you said you wanted to talk but that was pretty vague, Snow. Like am I doing all of the talking or..." Regina's voice trailed off.

"Well, I want you to tell us what you can to help you, Gina. You're not in this alone anymore..." Snow spoke softly, placing her hand on Regina's knee.

Regina nodded slowly, trying to figure out how this afternoon would go.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Maybe from the beginning of when this all started?" Tink spoke up.

Regina ran her hands through her hair and nodded.

"Okay, well it really started at 6 years old. She's been hard on me for as long as I can remember, but the physical stuff happened when I was 6. I had an accident one night and tried to hide it from her. It obviously didn't work, she found me trying to get clean sheets from the closet, and she yelled at me, scolded me, and dragged me into the bathroom where she cut off all of my hair. After that, it got worse. Remember when I broke my arm in 4th grade? Yea, she caused that. She was angry with me and yelled at me. Shes the reason I fell down the stairs. Had that cast on for the whole summer. And since I wasn't able to swim because of it, she was able to make me her punching bag even more. She normally only did physical damage in the colder months, when I had to bundle up and cover up. But I wasn't able to do anything that would show more skin than necessary that summer and so it continued. It kinda died off a little in middle school. She was only really emotionally abusive, but it got worse again once high school started. I mean, look at me. Nothing like this has ever happened before. She's the reason I cake makeup on everyday. She's the reason all I wear are long sleeve shirts and pants. She's the reason my hair is a short mess. And she's the reason I have nightmares every single night." At the end of her re-telling, Regina was shaking, holding in her tears.

"Oh, Regina..." Snow whispered.

Robin placed an arm around Regina's shoulders and held her close. Emma placed a hand on Regina's knee and Tink grabbed one of Regina's hands and held it tightly in her own.

"There has to be something that we can do about this..." Robin spoke his thought aloud.

"There isn't." Regina sighed.

"What about your father?" Emma asked.

"He's always away on business. And before you ask, yes he does know everything that is going on. But my mother isn just abusive to me. She hurts Daddy too, but only emotionally. She's only hit him once, and that was a few years ago. She punched him because he tried to protect me. He was trying to take me with him, but she caught us before we even got to the door. So now he just stays away as much as he can." Regina replies sadly.

"Why hasn't anyone reported her, Regina?" Emma asks, trying to hold back her anger.

"Because my mother has power. She may only be the principal, but she somehow has a lot of power. So there's no point. No one would believe me, or daddy."

They all sat quietly for a moment before Robin spoke up.

"What if one of us said something? What if 'something happens' and one of us sees your bruises?"

"Well she thinks you and I are sleeping together, Robin, so I assume she thinks you know. Or rather, she assumes you've seen the bruises and assumes I made up a story that I bruise easily or I am extremely clumsy. So you saying something might make it worse."

"I'll say something then." Emma raised her hand.

"Emm-"

"No, Regina. Do not tell me not to do it. You are being abused. Someone needs to do something. I want to help you. We all do. We all love you and don't want anything to happen to you. I will go to the authorities and report your mother, or I will say that you are being abused and they will look into it. Something needs to change, and fast."

Tears slowly made their way down Regina's face. While she felt so vulnerable, she felt so loved right now.

"Guys..." Regina sniffed and gave them a watery smile.

Snow got up from her spot across from Regina and sat directly in front of her and wrapped her arms around her. Tink, Emma, and Robin joined in with the hug and Regina started crying again.

"Thank you, guys. I love you all so much."

"We love you too, Gina." Tink sniffed, crying a little too.

They all stayed in the hug for a short while longer before pulling apart.

"Hey guys, do you mind if Regina and I go on a short walk? I just wanna talk to her alone for a few minutes." Robin smiled and looked over at Regina.

"Yea, of course." Snow smiled. "There's a trail over there, and if you walk the entire thing, and stay on it, it takes 20 minutes, there and coming back."

"Great, thanks." Robin smiled and stood up. He reached for Regina's hand and pulled her up. They started walking towards the trail and Robin didn't really start talking until they were more than earshot away. He looked around to see if Snow, Tink, or Emma was watching and he walked a little off of the trail.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know." Robin smirked and just kept walking. He walked until they reached a clearing. There were a few trees lining the clearing and Robin sat them down, his back to the tree and Regina's back to his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her close.

"Not that I'm not grateful for the quiet escape, but was there a point of this?" Regina broke the silence.

"I just saw you were getting more and more overwhelmed, so I wanted to take you somewhere to relax."

"Thank you..." Regina turned to gave him a small smile.

Robin leaned in and laid his forehead against Regina's.

"Anything for you, my love." He leaned in and kissed her softly.

Regina melted into the kiss. She suddenly forgot all of her stress and was, thankfully, able to put all of her focus on Robin.

Regina turned around in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Robin placed his arms around Regina's waist. She pressed herself closer to Robin, never wanting to leave his embrace. Robin held her loosely in his arms. He was so afraid to hurt her. He obviously knew where the majority of her bruises are, but he knew there were some that he couldn't see, and he was so afraid he would hurt her. Regina pulled back from the kiss and looked at him.

"What is it?"

Robin shook his head and leaned into to kiss her again, but Regina backed away.

"Tell me. I can see it in your eyes. There's something wrong."

Robin sighed and laid his head in the crook of her neck.

"I just don't want to hurt you. I've seen all of the bruises that are visible when you're in shorts and a t-shirt. I don't know if there are others...your mother already hurts you, I cannot hurt you."

Regina looked at him with a small smile before she leaned in and kissed him again.

Robin smiled into the kiss. He sat there for a minute before throwing all caution in the wind and deepened the kiss. Regina gasped a little, I mean her first kiss was only yesterday. Robin smirked and kissed her harder. Regina tightened her hold on Robin and opened her mouth against his. They stayed like this for what felt like hours, and only broke apart when they both needed air.

"Well..." Regina smirked and placed her hand over her mouth.

Robin returned the smirk.

"Sorry about that." He grinned.

"No you're not." Regina laughed.

Robin was so happy to hear her laugh again. And this wasn't a fake laugh, this laugh was genuine and it made him so happy.

"Can we just stay here forever?" Regina mused.

"Anything you want, my love." Robin kissed her cheek and rubbed a hand along the expanse of her back.

Regina laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"That feels good."

Robin chuckled and continued the rub her back, thinking of ways for them to escape this crazy life.

"You know, we need to get back soon." Regina interrupted his thoughts.

"I don't want to. I want to stay here, with you in my arms, for the rest of my life."

Regina moved back to smile at him.

"You know the girls will come looking for us eventually."

"Doesn't mean they'll find us." Robin smirked.

Regina laughed a little before getting up, despite Robins attempts to hold her down. She reached her hand out to him and smiled.

"Come on."

Robin groaned and got up and they set off, back to the lake and their friends.

Authors Note:  
Sorry it's taken so long, guys! I've been super busy with school and you would think that I would have updated over spring break, but I actually worked the majority of my break so that didn't really work out. And I also apologize for the kinda awkward ending. I had absolutely no idea how to end this chapter, or even what. I really wanted to happen throughout the chapter. This chapter really kicked my ass and I am surprised it ended up as long as it did. But I hope you all enjoy it and thank you so so much for reading, and reviewing. The reviews I get always make me smile!  
Xoxoxo  
-Sam


	8. Chapter 8

Authors Note: ...hi guys...so I want to start off with apologizing for how long this has taken me. I got so busy with school and finals, that I had absolutely no time to write. I would tell my friend, fellow author outlawqueenoncers, all the time that I needed to update, but I just didn't have the time. Well I am officially done with my sophomore year of college and am on summer break! So yay!

And I feel like I am obligated to talk at least a little about the death of Robin Hood...if you all want me to be honest, I sobbed. I am not happy with the decision Adam and Eddy made, but I sadly have no say. I am still going to continue to write, even though I wasn't quite sure how I could even read OutlawQueen fanfictions at first, let alone write, but I will continue, if that's what you all would like. Robin Hood may not be in the show anymore, but he will forever be in our hearts and I know that he will never be forgotten.

Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and your support, so without further adieu, I give you, chapter 8 of the story

Xoxoxoxox

-Sam

As the two were walking back to their friends, they noticed that the three of them were huddled together, having a serious conversation.

"What's up, guys?" Regina asked warily as they were approaching Emma, Snow, and Tink.

They looked up at Robin and Regina as they walked up to them and Snow took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna go to the police. We discussed it and they probably won't believe Emma because of her history, and everyone knows that I don't lie, and I'm the most innocent person in the city so why wouldn't they believe me."

Regina sighed and sat down in front of Snow.

"Snow, you don't need to do this."

"Somebody has to, Gina. I want to. I'm tired of seeing you hurt. This all needs to change, and it needs to change now."

"My mom might come after you and your dad, Snow. Either that or she'll send someone after you. I've seen it happen. My mom does not have a lot of friends, but she does have enemies."

"She can't keep hurting you. It's breaking our hearts to see you like this. If Snow doesn't, I will." Tink added.

Regina just nodded.

"When are you going to the authorities, Snow?"

"I was thinking after you leave. Or even, you just stay out in the car and I go in. If I go in, they might ask how I know, and a way to contact you. Would you be okay with being in the car?" Snow asked shyly.

Regina contemplated the idea for a minute before slowly nodding her head.

"Do you want to go now?"

"We might as well."

The group got up and walked toward the house. Snow went to tell her father they were going out, and that they didn't know how long they would be. Once she was out the door, they all loaded into Robins car, considering Emma's tiny little bug would not fit them all, and headed to the local authorities.

It didn't take long for them to get there. Regina started shaking as soon as the police station came into view. Robin looked over at her and placed a hand on her knee and squeezed it gently.

Once Robin pulled into a spot, Emma, Snow, and Tink climbed out form the back and headed it.

Snow automatically located a familiar face, Sheriff Graham, and walked over to him.

"Excuse me, Sheriff Graham?"

"Mary Margaret. Rose. …Emma…, what can I do for you ladies?"

Emma shifted uncomfortably as Snow spoke up.

"I'd like to report a case of domestic violence."

Sheriff Graham's eyes grew wide.

"Wh-What?"

"My friend is being physically abused. Her whole body is covered in bruises and cuts and I can tell you that they are definitely not self-inflicted. Somebody is hurting her and we think we know who."

Sheriff Graham grabbed a form for Snow to fill out and then turned back to look at her.

"Mary Margaret, I need names."

"Regina Mills and her mother, Cora Mills."

"Excuse me? Regina and Cora Mills? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Well I am one hundred percent positive about Regina. I've seen the bruises and marks. And there's not a lot of people who could be doing it. These bruises are fresh, so it's not her father, because he's away on business. It's obviously not one of the three of us, we've only just seen them today. Robin Locksley is out of the question because he only just found out about them and he is sitting in the car in the parking lot with Regina right now, and-"

"Wait, Regina's in the car outside right now?" Graham interrupted.

The girls nodded.

"Can you bring her in here?"

Snow nodded and texted Robin to have them come in.

Robin and Regina were sitting quietly in the car when his phone buzzed and interrupted the quiet. Regina jumped when his phone buzzed and Robin placed his hand on her leg, before checking his phone.

"They need us to come in. Sheriff Graham wants to talk to you."

Regina visibly tensed at the idea.

"Gina? You okay, love? I can tell Snow that you're not up to this."

Regina shook her head and unbuckled her seat belt. Robin did the same and as soon as he could, he grabbed Regina's hand and walked into the building.

The girls and Sheriff Graham all turned to look at her as she and Robin walked in. Snow immediately walked over to her, with Tink and Emma right behind her, and grabbed her free hand.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this, Gina?" Emma asked.

"Now or never, right?" Regina forced a smiled and walked over to Graham.

"I'm glad you're here, Regina. I just wish it was for better circumstances. Will you come with me please? I want to take you to a room so we can talk about this."

Regina tensed and turned back to look at her friends.

"C-can Robin come with us? Please?" Regina asked quietly.

Graham looked over at Robin and the girls and stared for a minute before nodding and motioning for Robin to follow them. The three of them went to a room that is typically used for interrogation. Graham allowed them to enter first before he closed the door behind them and shut the blinds, so wandering eyes would not watch them.

Robin and Regina sat in the chairs placed behind the table and Graham sat down in front of them.

"So the three of us obviously know why you're here, Regina, but can you give me a little information? Mary Margaret came in telling me that you're being physically abused and that she believes it is your mother. I was hoping you could add something to this…"

Regina nodded and took a deep breath.

"Sno-Mary Margaret is right. I have…been dealing with abuse for a lot of my life. It's gotten worse over the years. Once I started high school, it became a lot more physical. When I was six, I had an accident at night. My mother yelled at me and chopped my hair off. When I was in 4th grade, she caused me to fall down the stairs and I broke my arm. After that, it was mainly emotional. My mother couldn't risk anyone finding out what she was doing. Once I got into high school though, it got physical. I can't tell you the last time I wore shorts or a tshirt in public. I have to cover up as much as I can because of my bruises and scars and marks. I became an expert at covering up bruises on my face with makeup. The only reason Robin knows, or Mary Margaret, Emma, and Rose know is because they caught me at a weak moment. Robin came over and I was relaxing at the house, alone, in shorts and a t-shirt. Mary Margaret, Emma, and Rose found me in the bathroom and Emma grabbed my arm, I screamed in pain, and it kinda just went on from there…Is there anything else you want to know? Do you need proof?" Regina took a huge breath after she finished the last word. She hadn't breathed at all since beginning her story. She was still shaking and Robin had held her hand the entire time.

"No, I think that's enough. But for your file, we need pictures of the bruises…" Graham said quietly.

"I understand. When do you need them?"

"Well we could all head over to the hospital now, and we could figure it all out from there."

Regina nodded before looking at Robin, who was nodding as well. They all got up and headed out of the room, back out to Snow, Emma, and Tink.

"How about you girls, and Robin, ride together, and follow behind me. Your mother has power and eyes everywhere. Trust me, I remember her very well. I don't want to raise any eyebrows when you get in my squad car Regina. Just meet me there."

Regina nodded and Robin wrapped an arm around her shoulder and the group walked out of the station.

It took about ten minutes for them to reach the local hospital. Graham led the group to a room and handed Regina a hospital gown. A familiar face, a nurse by the name of Granny, lead her to a separate room where her bruises, scars, and marks were photographed. Robin, Snow, Tink, and Emma sat quietly in another room with Sheriff Graham while they waited for Regina. She came back about half an hour later, pale, and shaking even more than she was before. Robin instantly pulled her close to him and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"You okay?" He mumbled into her hair.

Regina nodded but stayed quiet.

"Regina, is there anywhere you can stay tonight? We're going to bring your mother in later, and based on what you have told us, its best that you aren't around her." Graham spoke to her.

Snow was about to speak up, but Robin beat her to it.

"She can stay with me and my parents. We'll take her back to her house after her mother has been brought in."

Graham nodded and led the group out of the hospital.

"It's probably best that you don't go to school tomorrow as well. We'll be calling you in early that day."

Regina nodded before getting in the passenger side of the car. She couldn't wait to get to Robins. It was going to be a long night, and it was only just beginning.


	9. Chapter 9

The car ride back to Snow's was pretty quiet. No one really knew what to say. Robin kept looking over at Regina, wanting to start a conversation, but didn't really know how. As soon as they arrived at Snows, the girls climbed out of the back and walked over to the passenger side window to talk to Regina. They all had very sympathetic looks on their faces which made Regina internally cringe; pity was the last thing she wanted.

"Thanks for driving us, Robin. And Regina? We'll all talk to you later." Snow smiled sadly.

Regina just nodded and tried to smile.

"I'm gonna keep an eye out what happens at your house, Gina, so I can let you all know when it's safe to head back and grab your stuff, okay?" Emma added.

"That sounds great, Emma. Thank you." Robin spoke up, a small smile on his face.

"Do you want one of us to call your father, Regina?" Tink asked

Shit. Regina hadn't even thought about telling her father. He wasn't due home until later this month. She took a deep breath before shaking her head.

"No, I'll call him later, once I've grabbed all of my stuff from the house. This is something I need to do. But thank you, guys…for everything. This hasn't been easy, and you guys were basically dragged into my drama. That was the last thing I wanted to happen. So thank you, for being supportive…" Regina voice faded off as a few stray tears fell down her cheeks.

Emma threw the car door open and wrapped her arms, as best as she could, around Regina.

"Gina, we will always be here for you. No matter what happens, no matter what the situation. We will always be here for you." Snow said from behind Emma.

"And I will beat the shit out of anyone who tries to hurt you. And when I say anyone, I mean anyone, your mother included. I don't even care anymore, your mother is going to pay." Emma practically growled.

"Emma…I can't handle you going to jail yet. I don't have the money to bail you out of jail just yet." Regina tried to joke.

The four girls shared a knowing look and Regina got out of the car and enveloped them all in a huge group hug.

"I love you girls." Regina whispered.

"We love you too, Regina. To the moon and back." Tink whispered back.

They stayed in their group hug for a few minutes more before Regina got back in the car.

"Thanks, guys." Regina smiled

The girls waved bye to Regina and Robin and went back into Snow's house.

The whole way back to Robins, Regina felt Robin looking over at her constantly. Regina didn't know what to say, so she just stayed quiet. As soon as Robins house came into view, Regina saw his mother out working in the garden. Regina froze as soon as she saw her and Robin noticed out of the corner of his eye. He pulled in the driveway and looked at Regina.

"Let me go talk to my mother, okay?

Regina nodded and watched Robin get out of the car and walk towards his mother.

Regina had known the Locksley family for a few years now and when she first met Caroline Locksley, she knew where Robin got his looks from. He looked so much like his mother. She had the same blondish hair and the same dimples. She always liked Caroline Locksley. She is a very kind, witty woman who treated Regina like her own daughter.

"Hi mum." Robin gave his mother a small smile as he approached her.

"Hi, darling. I thought you were going over to Mary Margaret's house?"

"We were there, but something came up and we left."

Caroline looked over at Robins car and saw Regina sitting in the passenger seat.

"Why is Regina still in the car, dear?

"That's what I need to talk to you about. Regina needs to stay here tonight. She's got a lot going on at home and cannot stay there tonight. Or, well, I'm not sure how long she can't stay there. We're going to her house a little later to get her things, but it's not safe for her to go back right now. Emma's going to call Regina later to let her know when its okay."

Caroline's eyes went wide as saucers and looked at Regina sitting in the car before looking back at her son.

"What do you mean it's not safe? Robin, what's going on?"

Robin sighed and looked back at Regina, who was watching the two of them rather intently.

"I don't really know if I can say, but you'll see as soon as Regina comes up here."

Caroline just nodded and Robin turned back around to go get Regina. She watched Robin open the door for Regina and grab her hand to help her out. Caroline took notice as to how frail looked. She was sure what exactly she was "looking" for but as soon as Regina got closer she saw what Robin was talking about. Regina was still in the shorts and tshirt she had changed into at the police station, so her bruises were on full display.

Oh my god…" Caroline said under her breath as Regina stood before her.

Regina shifted uncomfortably under Caroline's gaze. She wasn't used to being so vulnerable yet. Robin noticed her discomfort and cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Regina's shoulder.

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry. Come here sweetheart." Caroline said before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Regina.

Regina tensed for a minute before wrapping her arms around Caroline as well.

"You poor dear. Don't worry, nothing will happen to you anymore. I won't allow it." Caroline spoke in Regina's ear.

Caroline's heart was broken. She's loved Regina since Robin brought her home for the very first time.

Caroline pulled back slowly and looked at Robin.

"Let's all go inside."

The trio walked in the house and went straight to the living room.

"Regina, can I get you anything?" Caroline asked sweetly.

"No thank you, Mrs. Locksley. I'm alright."

Caroline nodded and told them she was going to be in the kitchen, starting dinner, if they needed her.

As soon as Caroline left the room, Robin turned to look at Regina.

"How are you, love?"

Regina sighed and turned to look at him.

"I'm fine, Robin, really." Regina says with a forced smile.

"Regina, it's me. You can tell me anything. Haven't you realized that?"

She looked down at her hands before nodding.

Robin moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. Regina turned into his embrace and laid her head in the crook of his neck.

"I'm scared…"

Robin rubbed her back in soothing circles and kissed the top of her head.

"I understand, my love. But I won't let anything happen to you. You are surrounded by people you love who will not let your mother near you again. We're not going to get your stuff until Emma lets us know that your mother has been taken by the cops. I refuse to let anything happen to you. I wish I had been able to help you sooner…" Robin voiced drifted off as he hugged her body tighter to his.

"Robin…" Regina whispered, "please don't beat yourself up about this. I didn't want to drag you into this, or Emma, Snow, and Tink. I don't want anything happening to you all. My mother is powerful and probably will get out as soon as she can."

Robin just shook his head.

"Bail all depends on the hearing and who knows, she might not get bail. It all depends. But we need to get ahold of your father so we can get you a lawyer. In the meantime, we need to get you a restraining order against your mother. I don't want her near you and we need the law on our side for this."

Regina looked up at his and managed a small, genuine smile.

Robin leaned down and kissed her softly before laying back on the couch, bringing Regina's body with him, causing her to lay with her head on his chest, right above his heart. Regina stayed quiet for a while, thinking about all that had happened within the past couple of days before she fell asleep to the sound of Robins heart beating in her ear.

And that is how Caroline found the two of them, Robin lying on the couch holding onto Regina tightly, who was fast asleep. She smiled at the sight before her. One of her sons hands was occupied by his phone, him paying attention to some social media sight, and the other hand was rubbing small circles along the bottom of her back.

"Robin." Caroline whispered and smirked when he jumped slightly. Her smirked turned into another smile when he checked on Regina first, before looking up at his mother.

"Dinner will be ready soon, and your father just pulled into the driveway," Caroline's gaze turned toward Regina, "why don't you wake her and come on in the kitchen."

Robin nodded and Caroline started to leave the room. Before she made it out of the room she saw her son trying to wake up Regina. He was caressing her cheek and talking quietly to her, rousing her from her nap gently. Caroline smiled before giving the two their privacy, planning to talk to Robin about the two of them later.

Oliver Locksley walked in from the garage to the kitchen a minute later and smiled when he saw his wife.

"Hello, my love." He grinned, those swoon worthy Locksley dimples appearing on his face.

"Hello, dear. Dinner is almost ready but there is something I need to talk to you about."

Oliver looked at his wife, concern written all over his face.

"Is everything okay?"

Caroline sighed and shook her head slightly.

"Not really. Regina is over an-"

"Well what's wrong with that? We love her?" Oliver cuts her off.

Caroline is about to finish her sentence when Robin and Regina walk into the kitchen.

When they walked through the threshold, both of his parents eyes turned towards the two of them. Oliver Locksley's eyes grew wide as he looked at Regina. Regina blushed and looked down at her feet, feeling vulnerable all over again.

"Uh, hi dad…" Robin said awkwardly.

"Hey Robin…Regina…" Oliver managed to get out before he turned to look at his wife.

"Well, why don't we set the table and eat. Regina, what would you like to drink?"

"Water is fine, Mrs. Locksley. Thank you."

Caroline gives her a smile before getting everyone's drinks while Robin sets the table and Oliver puts the food on the table.

"Can I help with anything?" Regina pipes from her spot in the kitchen, not having left it since walking in a few minutes before.

Robin walked over to her, having finished setting the table, and grabbed her hand.

"You, love, can just sit back and try to relax." He smiled before bringing her hand to his mouth and kissing it softly.

Regina blushed slightly and nodded before walking to the table. Oliver and Caroline shared a look before walking over to the table too.

Dinner was pleasant; a little quiet seeing as though no one really knew what to say, but still pleasant. When everyone was finished eating, Caroline started to clear the table. Regina started to clear her own plates, and she grabbed Robins as well when Caroline noticed.

"Regina, dear, I can get this. You don't need to help."

"I know, but I want to." Regina gave a small, genuine smile

Robin watched Regina and his mother clean up with a smile on his face. Despite everything Regina was going through, she genuinely looked happy right now. He watched them for a few moments more before his phone started ringing. He saw that it was Emma and left the room to answer the call.

"Hey, Emma. Has she already been taken in?"

"Yea, they just left with her. And I got it all on video! It was perfect. She was yelling and fighting back and god I wish you all had been here to see it in person."

Robin chuckled quietly before asking Emma if it was safe to bring Regina back.

"Oh yea, it's safe. There's no way she can get to her currently. Bring her on over."

"Okay, Emma. We'll be over within the next ten minutes. Thanks."

Robin ended the call before turning his attention back to the kitchen.

Regina and his mother were laughing at something, what that something was he doesn't know, but it warmed his heart to see her genuinely happy at the moment. He walked back into the kitchen and cleared his throat. The two women turned to look at him.

"Regina, Emma just called. She said we can go on over and grab whatever you need."

Regina's smile faded a little as she was brought back to her reality and she nodded her head.

"Do you want to head over now?"

Regina took a deep breath before nodding again.

"Yea, we might as well get it all over with."

"Do you two need any help?" Caroline asked.

"No, I think we've got it mom. We shouldn't be too long." Robin smiled before giving his mom a kiss on her cheek.

"Okay, well call if you need anything from your father and I."

The pair nodded before heading out the door and getting into Robin's car.

They arrived to Regina's quickly and they headed straight to Regina's room.

Regina was loading clothes into a suitcase when the two of them heard a knock on the door. Regina froze instantly and looked at Robin.

"I'll go answer it. You keep on packing what you need."

Robin quickly walked down the steps and opened the door.

Relief flooded over him when he saw it was Emma, Snow, and Tink at the door.

"Hey, how is she?" Snow asked as Robin let them in.

"She's still a little shaken up, but she's better than earlier. My mom managed to get her to smile and laugh but as soon as I told her we could come over and grab her things, she was back to how she was earlier."

"I feel like it's gonna be a while before we see the real Regina again." Tink mentioned sadly.

"I just hope Cora gets what she deserves and doesn't pay her way out of this." Emma growled as the four headed upstairs to help Regina.

When they reached Regina's room, they noticed that Regina suitcase was practically fully and she was almost done. But she wasn't packing anymore, she was just sitting in the middle of her room, staring at the wall.

"Gina? You okay?" Snow goes to sit on the floor next to her, while the rest of the gang stands by the door, watching.

Regina doesn't move, just sits and stares.

"Gina…?" Snow places a hand on her shoulder, but instantly regrets it because Regina practically jumps out of her skin.

Apologies start spilling out of Snow's mouth, and the others move away from the doorway to comfort her but she stops Snow in the middle of her sentence.

"It's fine, Snow, I swear. I just was thinking and didn't even realize you guys were here. I'm fine, don't worry."

"Are you sure, Gina?" Tink stood in front of her with a small frown on her face.

Regina nodded before getting up from her spot on the floor and checking around to make sure she has everything that she needs.

She had all of the clothes and toiletries she thought she'd need, all of her school supplies were in Robin's car, and she put a few little things that she knew she'd want in her purse. Regina looked at what she had collected in this trip and started feeling guilty.

"Robin, you don't have to do this…I don't want to be a burden on you and your parents. I should just stay here…"

Robin walked over to where Regina was standing and placed his hands on her arms and smiled down at her.

"You're not going to be a burden, love. My parents absolutely adore you and they want you to be safe. And I will do whatever I need to do to keep you safe."

Regina managed a small smile and Robin leaned and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Well, I guess I better call daddy…" Regina sighed.

"Here, I'll take your bags out to the car so you can call him." Robin kissed her cheek and grabbed her bags.

"Yea, we'll leave you to the call and we'll be outside with Robin whenever you're done."

Regina gave a grateful smile and waited until her friends shut the front door before she called her father.

Regina started shaking while she heard the dial tone and took a deep breath when her father finally answered.

"Hello, princess. How are you?"

"Daddy…"

"Princess, what happened? What did she do this time?"

Regina could hear the change in her father's voice, he was scared.

"I did it, daddy…I went to the police. Snow, Tink, Emma, and Robin took me…"

Henry was silent for a moment.

"How did they find out?"

"Robin…came over the other day while she was still at work and I didn't expect company so I was in shorts and a tshirt and he kinda saw the bruises. The girls found out at school later on."

"Where are you now? What's happened?"

"I filed a report of domestic violence and after a little bit of talking with the police and getting examined at the hospital, the police picked mother up. I wasn't home when it happened; I'm currently staying at Robin's. Emma made sure it was safe for us to come back. I've packed a few bags, just what I need for the time being, and they're all waiting outside for me. But I knew I had to call you…"

"I'm so sorry, honey. I wish I was there with you right now. I wish I had gotten you away from her sooner…it's all my fault…I shouldn't have let this happen to you."

"Daddy…the only person at fault is mother. Robin told me that earlier. It's not our fault. It's hers, and now she's paying for it."

"I'll try to be home as soon as I can. Don't worry, princess."

"Okay, daddy. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Regina sighed and hung up the phone. She took one last deep breath before grabbing her purse and heading back downstairs, to her friends, and Robin, so they could head back over to Robin's house.

Authors Note:

Sorry its taken so long to update guys. I've had a hard time writing lately and I've also been busy. I hope you all liked the update :)


	10. Chapter 10

When Regina walked back out to Robin's car she saw them all staring at her with what looked like pity in their eyes. She hated that look. That was the last thing she wanted from her friends. She shouldn't be doing any of this. Her friends shouldn't be involved at all.

"Did you get ahold of your dad?" Emma spoke up, breaking Regina away from her thoughts.

"Oh, yea. He said he's going to try to be home as soon as possible. We didn't really talk long…" Regina replied as she looked back at the house.

Her friends all stared at each other before Robin spoke up.

"Well I'm gonna get her back to my house…we'll see you tomorrow?"

The three nodded before Tink and Mary Margaret got back in Mary's car and Emma walked home. As Mary and Tink pulled out of the driveway and Emma disappeared from sight, Robin turned to look at Regina. She looked so small now. He internally yelled at himself for not being able to help her all along. He should have realized…but that didn't matter now. He just had to keep Regina safe…and the next step in that plan was bringing her to his house.

"Are you ready, love?"

Regina turned to face him.

"Robin, we don't have to do this. I can stay here. I don't want to bother your family. Plus, Daddy said he'd be home as soon as he could…I can just stay here."

Robin scoffed and shook his head.

"You think I'm going to let you stay here? What if for some reason they let your mother go and she shows up here? I'm not going to let her hurt you anymore, Gina…I want you to come home with me so you are safe. If you stay here, you are putting yourself in danger and I do not approve of that. You have never been a bother to my parents. They absolutely adore you. When my mother saw you when I brought you home earlier…I could see in her eyes that her heart broke, Regina. They love having you over…please, Regina…come with me…" Robin grabbed her hand as he ended his little speech.

Regina stared at him as he spoke, wondering how she got so lucky to have him in her life.

"Will you come with me, love?" Robin asked one more time.

She gave him a small smile and nodded. Robin grinned and kissed her cheek before grabbing her bags and placing them in the back seat of his car. They were back to his house in no time and he helped her bring her bags inside. When the two of them walked through the door, they immediately saw Robin's parents sitting on the couch watching the news. It didn't take long to realize what they were watching. As soon as Regina saw her mother on the screen, she grabbed onto Robin tightly.

"Well, news does travel quickly in this town…" Robin mumbled as he walked Regina over to the loveseat.

"Did you see any cameras while you were at your house, dear?" Caroline asked

"Thankfully, no…" Regina answered quietly.

The room got quiet after that. No one really knew what to say, and what they wanted to say, they didn't know how.

"Robin, dear, why don't you take Regina's stuff upstairs? Regina, can you help me in the kitchen for a moment?" Caroline broke the silence with a smile. Regina and Robin both nodded and Regina followed Caroline into the kitchen. Caroline stared at the girl for a moment with a blank look on her face. Regina didn't know what she was doing. She just stood, leaning awkwardly against the cabinet as Caroline stared at her.

"I'm going to ask you the one question you probably don't want to be asked, or you don't know how to answer," Caroline stopped, waiting to see if Regina stopped her, and continued when she didn't, "are you okay, sweetheart?"

Regina took a deep breath and tried to keep her composure, but she was slowly starting to crumble. Caroline noticed immediately and crossed the room and wrapped her arms tight around the young girl. As soon as Caroline's arms were around her, Regina just broke and the tears started falling. Caroline held Regina tight and let her cry. Regina let out all of the emotions she had been holding in all day. She hated to do this in front of Robin's mother, but she couldn't help it. But Caroline didn't mind one bit; she loved the fact that Regina could trust her enough to open up in front of her. She had always loved Regina, ever since Robin first told them about her. She held the poor girl tight and started silently praying to God that she would be alright.

Regina stayed in Caroline's arms for about ten minutes longer, rubbing her soothingly and whispering in her ear that she was safe, that she, Robin, and the entire family would make sure that nothing ever happened to her again.

As Regina pulled away, Caroline wiped away the last few tears that fell down her cheeks and smiled at her.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Locksley." She whispered and hid her face.

"Don't ever apologize to me, dear. You don't have to hide. Plus, you really needed to let it all out. And how many times do I have to tell you, it's not 'Mrs. Locksley', its Caroline dear." She gave the girl one last tight hug before pulling away.

"Now, why don't you go upstairs and find Robin. I know he's itching to talk to you…" She grinned, causing Regina to blush. She watched the young girl turn to walk out of the room.

"Oh, and Regina?" She watched her turn around, "you two make an adorable couple." Caroline winked at Regina and laughed as her face turned bright red.

Regina went to the guest room, expecting to find her things, and Robin, waiting for her, but when she got there he was nowhere to be found. She set off in the direction of his room and saw him sitting on his bed, staring at the floor. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him, wondering what was going through his mind at that very moment. She stared at him for so long, spaced out in the process, and didn't even notice that he was now looking up at her, with a small smile on his face. She only noticed when he coughed a little to get her attention. When their eyes locked, Robin grinned and held out his hand to her. Regina smiled and walked up to him and grabbed his hand. Robin pulled her down to sit next to him on his bed, but she didn't want to sit. She moved a little farther away from him and placed her head in his lap. Robin chuckled and wrapped one arm around her waist, and used the other to play with her hair. She couldn't believe how safe she felt in his arms. And she couldn't remember the last time she ever felt this safe.

They stayed quiet for a while before she rolled over onto her back and looked up at him with a smile, a genuine one at that. Robin grinned and placed a hand on her cheek. Regina turned her head and kissed his palm. Robin stared at her for a moment before grabbing her hand and pulling her up to sit next to him. Regina watched him curiously as he pulled her to sit sideways in his lap. He turned her head to face him and locked eyes with her. He leaned in and kissed her softly before resting his forehead against hers.

"Stay in here with me tonight…please…" Robin whispered.

"You want me to stay in here? But what about your mom?" Regina's pulled back to lock eyes with him.

"She won't care. If she has a problem with it, she'll just have to get over it. I want to be able to hold you in my arms tonight. Please, Regina…that's why I didn't even bother taking your stuff to the guest room. I want you in here."

Regina thought about it for about a minute before smiling at him and nodding.

"Really?"

"I love being in your arms…" Regina admitted, her face red with embarrassment. "It's the only place I really feel like I am safe."

Robins heart soared at Regina's confession and pulled her into a tight hug.

"That is my goal, love. I want you to always feel safe."

Regina smiled and pushed on Robins body with a little force, causing them both to fall back on the bed. Robin laughed at her actions and made himself comfy against his pillow. Regina pressed her ear against his heart and wrapped her arms around his chest, as best as she could.

"Robin…" Regina spoke softly after a while.

"Yes, my love?"

"What am I going to do…there's no way I can go to school on Monday…this is a small town, it was already on the news…I can't face everyone…"

Robin moved Regina around so that she was face to face with him.

"Babe, you are not going to go through this alone. You have me, you have Snow, Emma, and Tink…you are not alone. We will never let anything happen to you. And what do you think is going to happen on Monday?"

"I can't handle the looks of pity…I don't want people to feel sorry for me…I already hate the looks I get from you and the girls…I hate looking in your eyes and seeing you feel sorry for me. No one was supposed to find out about any of this…I didn't want to bring you into my mess…" While speaking, Regina had gotten up and was now staring out of Robin's window, her back facing him.

"Regina, look at me." Robin walked up behind her.

She shook her head and her shoulders started shaking.

Robin sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist. He placed his head in the crook of her neck and kissed her skin softly, and that's when Regina broke down. Her knees gave out beneath her and she let out quiet sob. She turned as best as she could in his arms. Robin quickly wrapped his arms under her knees and picked her up and walked back over to his bed. He sat down, his back against the headboard and held her close. He knew she had been holding in a lot of emotions lately, and knew that while she had cried while talking to his mother earlier, she was far from done crying. He wasn't sure what to do though. He wanted to help her, but had no clue how to do it. He just held her as she cried into his chest.

"I don't pity you, Regina…" Robin spoke a while later, after Regina's cries had subsided. "What I feel is far from pity. I can't begin to imagine what you've gone through the past couple of years, but I do know one thing, you are so incredibly strong. I don't know how you do it…" Robin tightened his grip around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "And as for you not wanting to bring me into this 'mess', you didn't bring me into it at all. I brought myself into it and if you think I'm gonna leave you anytime soon, you are wrong. I care for you so much, my love. I have for years. You mean the absolute world to me and I will do whatever I can to make sure you are safe. You are my future, Regina. I love you. I have for a long time now."

As Robin finished speaking, Regina looked up at him and looked like a deer in headlights. She sat up, in his lap and stuttered.

"You-you love me?"

Robin nodded and kissed her forehead.

"I do. I don't want to scare you, or overwhelm you, but I do. I thought you should know. You don't need to say it back, I just needed to get it out…"

Regina shook her head and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"I have loved you since the first moment I saw you…and I know I'll love you until my last Robin…I have never felt so safe."

Regina locked eyes with him and for once, she didn't hate what she saw. When she looked in his eyes she saw nothing but love. She then took in the rest of his face, her heart practically skipping a beat when she saw the grin that was covering his face.

Robin tackled her onto her back and hugged her tight.

"I love you." Regina sighed into his ear.

"Say it again."

"I love you." She blushed.

"Again, so the world can hear it."

Regina laughed, making Robin's heart soar.

"I love you!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Robin grinned again and leaned down and kissed Regina and that's when she knew, she never wanted to be anywhere else.

 *****I am so so so so soooooo sorry that it has taken me so long to update this story. This was the hardest chapter for me to write, and I honestly don't know why. And I have been pretty busy this summer. I've been to the beach around where I live a lot, I just came back from Marco Island, Florida, and I also got to go up to New York and meet my best friends for the first time in person. So I have had quite a busy summer, especially when you add in helping my best friend plan her wedding, visiting with family, and getting ready to move away from home and into my very first apartment for college. So I am very sorry, but I hope that this chapter makes up for it. I also want to apologize for something else. While I was on vacation, I reread the story and saw all of the mistakes I had made. I don't have anyone that reads this for me to check my mistakes, so I just kinda reread the chapters to make sure everything is okay, but obviously its not always enough. One of the biggest mistakes I have noticed is that for the majority of the story I have written that Tink's real name is Poppy, but in the last chapter or so, I have been writing Rose. I can't believe I did that. I am going to stick with Poppy, so I just wanted to attempt to mend that mistake. Anyway, I hope you all like the chapter. It's not the best in my mind, so I promise that it will get better very very soon. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck by this story; I love you all.** **Also, not sure if anyone would like to or not, but if anyone is interested in following me on twitter, tumblr, or instagram, you can feel free to, information is located in my bio :)**

 **Thanks guys :) Xoxo**

 **-Sam**

 **And I promise, my authors notes will be much shorter from this point on XO**


End file.
